Aid workers acquitted in Lesbos after seven-year prosecution during Greece refugee crisis

A Lesbos court acquitted 24 aid workers of people-smuggling charges, ending a seven-year legal case that had drawn criticism from rights groups and international observers.

A court on Lesbos has cleared 24 volunteer aid workers of people-smuggling charges after a legal process that lasted seven years. The case began at the height of the Aegean refugee crossings and drew attention from rights groups and the European Parliament. Defendants had worked with the now-dissolved search-and-rescue organisation ERCI and faced sentences of up to 20 years if convicted. Rights organisations and international observers described the prosecutions as a key test for humanitarian rescue work in Europe. Key facts: - The Lesbos court acquitted 24 defendants who had been prosecuted over alleged facilitation of illegal entry and related charges. - Those on trial had volunteered with ERCI, a search-and-rescue group that has since dissolved. - Prosecutors had alleged activities such as monitoring maritime communications and using encrypted apps; an espionage charge was dismissed by a court in January 2023. - Some named defendants in reporting include Sara Mardini and Sean Binder; several defendants were detained in 2018 and some spent time in custody. - Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International monitored the trial and described the charges as baseless; the European Parliament called the case a major example of the criminalisation of solidarity. - Rights groups said the prosecutions had a chilling effect on lifesaving work in the Aegean and repeatedly urged authorities to stop criminalising humanitarian assistance. Summary: The acquittals bring an end to a prolonged legal ordeal for the volunteers and were welcomed by rights groups as vindication of rescue activities. Undetermined at this time.